


Daunting

by ikigai (fencingfox)



Series: P/T Word of the Day [8]
Category: Star Trek: Voyager
Genre: F/M, Family Reunions, Insecurity, One Word Prompts, Wholesome, Wordcount: 500-1.000
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-02
Updated: 2020-02-02
Packaged: 2021-02-28 04:28:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 998
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22527865
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fencingfox/pseuds/ikigai
Summary: adjectiveseeming difficult to deal with in prospect, intimidating
Relationships: Tom Paris/B'Elanna Torres
Series: P/T Word of the Day [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1613410
Comments: 4
Kudos: 19





	Daunting

_He'll leave you._

B'Elanna pushed the thoughts back. They had no right to bother her while she focused on carrying Miral safely from the open mouth of _Voyager_ 's shuttle bay onto the deck of the repair bay. She glanced back. It was perhaps only one of a handful of times she'd seen the ship landed. None of those truly prepared her for the sight of _Voyager_ —sleek lines interrupted by bulbous Borg additions—in the docking bay.

_He'll take Miral with him. He told you he wouldn't leave you alone to change the diapers._

B'Elanna forced herself to breathe. The candle. It was around somewhere. She'd never used it to banish thoughts like this, but it was worth a try. There. She found it. The flame flickered. She focused on it, breathing in time with the flame.

_He's a hero now. He doesn't need you._

B'Elanna's eyes shot open as she choked on a silent sob. No. She wouldn't cry here. She looked down at the shifting Miral. Did she want to cry too? B'Elanna bobbed up and down while she waited for Tom to come back to her from visiting his family. She looked expectantly at the group: all blond hair and smiles. Even Owen smiled. Tom looked a little uncomfortable when he clapped him on the shoulder. She felt the need to establish herself within their circle if only for Tom's sake. But it was for Tom that she agreed to wait.

_Watch closely, he'll leave soon. He needed you far away to make his escape._

B'Elanna wanted to yank her own brain out. It wasn't true! He'd just wanted to test the waters first, he'd said. He didn't want his family to say something to her... He hadn't finished that sentence but she guessed he worried about how she was still reeling emotionally from the whole ordeal. If the Doctor had his way, she'd probably still be confined to Sickbay. Klingons spring back quickly, she'd told him. And now she was here.

Waiting.

It might have been better to wait in Sickbay.

She alternately wanted to make Tom come back or run onto _Voyager_ to avoid everyone. B'Elanna cooed to Miral feeling like that's what she should do. Miral blubbered incoherently at her mother. She smiled, happy with her choice to focus on Miral in this moment.

_You'd better memorize her. This'll be the last you see of her before the Paris family takes her._

"B'Elanna?" Disconcerted, it took a while before B'Elanna realized Tom was speaking to her, "B'Elanna." He stood next to her now, gazing at her sweetly.

_Too sweetly._

B'Elanna took one last look at the candle before answering. "Are they ready for me?"

"No."

Some instinct told B'Elanna to pull Miral closer. She didn't know if it was to protect herself or her baby. Either way, it caught Tom's attention. He reached a hand to her arm and she flinched. She felt as shocked as Tom looked.

They watched each other's expressions a moment longer before Tom whispered, "Is everything alright?"

"Why don't they want to see me?" she blurted.

"What? They do." Tom shifted and B'Elanna caught sight of Tom's mother—she presumed—crying over Owen's shoulder. "Mom broke down when she heard you'd given birth already."

"Oh." Her throat clenched around the word like she was ready to cry herself. Why was she like this?

_There's something wrong with you._

"Are you alright?" Tom asked.

"What?"

"You went pale just now. What's wrong?" Tom shifted again and placed both hands on her arms.

"It's nothing. Why is your mom upset?"

Tom replied, "I think she wanted to see her first grandchild being born." B'Elanna peered over Tom's shoulder to see if his mother stopped crying yet. She wiped at tears, nodding her head to something that Owen said. "B'Elanna." His voice drew her to look at him. "It's going to be alright." Tom planted a soft kiss on her lips. When he finished, he tilted his head high so he could draw B'Elanna and Miral into a hug with his chin resting on B'Elanna's head. "You have nothing to worry about."

"It's overwhelming: being back, meeting your family, holding Miral."

"Would you like me to hold her?"

_Don't do it._

"Sure, if you want."

"I want," he answered. Tom took a step away to offer his arms for B'Elanna to place Miral into. The handoff unnerved her. What if he held her wrong? What if she dropped her? Yet, they completed the handoff without a problem. Tom held Miral like such a pro that B'Elanna suspected he'd been practicing on the holodeck.

Tom looked at B'Elanna to ask, "Ready?"

"Yes."

Tom weaved through happy reunions. A few parted for them only to gaze at Miral in Tom's arms. B'Elanna followed closely behind Tom. When they reached his family, Tom stopped.

"Mom, this is B'Elanna." B'Elanna smiled kindly at the woman he called his mother and offered her hand. Tom's mother ignored her hand.

She hugged B'Elanna gingerly but with such speed that spoke of how much tighter a hug she could give, "It's so good to finally meet you, B'Elanna." Tom's mother leaned out of the hug. "How are you? Tom said it all happened while he was piloting through those _classified_ ," she shot a sharp look at her son before continuing, "pathways."

"Uh, I'm alright. Miral's fine too."

"Oh Miral. What a _pretty_ name!" Tom's mother—her mother-in-law—turned with gusto to the bundle in Tom's arms. "She's so pretty!" She paused a beat. "You two probably don't have a place to stay yet. You can absolutely stay with us."

It was Owen who answered, "Hanna, Starfleet will be giving everyone temporary lodging until the debriefing ends."

"Surely," Hanna turned to Owen, "they can still stay with us." Owen shook his head in response. Hanna sighed and turned back to B'Elanna. "Alright, we'll just have to visit you often."

B'Elanna found herself smiling and nodding. "Please do."

**Author's Note:**

> In case you're wondering, Miral Torres is alive in this version. She just didn't get to the dock yet. c:


End file.
